More than idle talk

Debate team skills put students on a special stage

Some high schoolers use free time to goof off with friends, but Brandon McNamara studied tough topics like nuclear war and alternative energy when he was not in the classroom.

McNamara was a member of the Harlan Community Academy's debate team, which meant he often stayed up late doing research on issues like biofuels and global warming, and he and his teammates set up mock debates on weekends so they could practice for tournaments. Because of his dedication and debating skill, McNamara won a full ride to Northwestern University. He's just one example of how participating in debates has helped Chicago Public Schools students excel academically, while also improving their social skills.

"I was never really a good speaker when I was younger, that's how most people are," said McNamara, who joined the team his sophomore year and stayed because of the "real world" experience he gained on the team.

"It makes you want to learn more," he said.

Debate students at Chicago schools participate in Chicago Debate League competitions. Sylvia Nelson, who manages the debate program for the school district -- there are teams at 51 high schools and 9 elementary schools -- said increased awareness of the program helped the Chicago Debate League to grow.

The number of competitive academic debaters in the league grew to more than 1,000 this school year -- a 37 percent increase from a year ago, said Les Lynn, executive director of the Chicago Debate Commission, which gives support to schools with debate teams.

Like McNamara, Halle Apy said she didn't like speaking in front of people before joining the debate team at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School on the Near North Side.

"It's one of the best decisions I made in high school, and I am glad I stuck with it," said Apy, who just finished her junior year.

Apy and teammate Jeremiah Pickert in April took first place at the National Association for the Urban Debate League's high school debate championship in Chicago.

The two are in Birmingham, Ala., competing in the National Forensic League's National Speech Tournament, which ends Friday. The tournament is the originator of the oldest high school debate competition in the country

Pickert, 17, a recent graduate, isn't sure where he will go to college but knows his research and study habits honed by debating will help him to succeed.

"The things you learn in debate spill over," Pickert said.

According to a study at the University of Missouri, Pickert is likely right. The 2004 study found that debating skills have a positive effect on academic performance. And researchers at the University of Michigan are looking at the impact on academics.

Robert Pincham, Harlan's debate coach, says all of his debaters have received college acceptance letters from schools such as the University of Illinois, Howard University and Vanderbilt University.